Ballot initiatives will need 766K signatures

It will take more signature-gathering --- and money --- to get proposed constitutional amendments on the 2018 ballot.

The state will require backers of ballot initiatives to submit 766,200 valid signatures to put measures before voters next year, up from the 683,149 needed for 2016 initiatives, according to information posted on the state Division of Elections website.

Under the Florida Constitution, the required total is updated after each presidential election year and is based on 8 percent of the overall number of votes cast.

Groups that have successfully placed measures on the ballot in the past often have raised large amounts of money to hire petition gatherers.